I don't wanna talk about it

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Don't you just love it when you try to catch up with someone and they don't want to talk about anything?

Usually this isn't much of a problem for me, since I can always make up for the lack of convo with my tales of contest wins, coupon finds and other buzz marketing-related activities.

Here's how the conversation went:

MOI: "Hey there! Long time no see. How are things going?"

DWT: "Okay, I guess."

MOI: "Glad to hear you're feeling better after that medical thing."

DWT: "I don't wanna talk about it."

MOI: "Oh, okay. How's work going?"

DWT: "Don't ask."

MOI: "Oh. Hey, someone brought pork rinds."

I stop to enjoy some nibbles and notice that DWT is now scanning the room, looking for someone else to not talk to.

MOI: "So, any big plans for the fall?"

DWT: "No."

MOI: "How about next year?"

DWT just shrugs, clearly feeling saying the words out loud is too much trouble.

MOI: "Wow, look at the time! 6:35 already? I better call in to check on the cat, he's at that needy stage right now..."

As you can see, I wasn't my normal "fill in the blanks" self. In this case, I felt kind of stumped. Actually, more like closed off.

Perhaps that wasn't this uncommunicative individual's intent, but when it happens a lot, like, say, all the time, it makes me feel like, just maybe, this person really doesn't want to talk about "it" -- or anything else -- with me.

There are some things some people don't want to talk about (politics, religion and pork rinds), but it's kind of hard if the person you're conversting with doesn't indicate a single topic which can be discussed. As a windbag, I should see this as an opportunity to take centre stage and run my mouth off, but, thanks to comedy school, I've learned how to read an audience.

And right now I'm thinking this particular audience would rather be anywhere else. ;)

That's cool. I'll just know where to hang out at the next gathering -- the other end of the room. Unless, of course, I don't feel like talking, too.

I'm a finalist!

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Okay, so I may have mentioned that I like to enter contests on occasion, even though the odds of winning (especially in novel-writing contests) can be slim to none. I even promised myself this year that I would limit myself to five contests. Five!

And it appears that number three is my lucky number. WHOO HOOOOOOOOOO!

Picked up right from the announcement (I took out the other categories so people wouldn't have to scroll forever, even though a bunch of awesome authors are finalists):

I'm up against some pretty fierce competition, both of the other finalists have won awards in other RWA contests. And that makes me feel excited and nervous at the same time. How will poor Megan compare? OMG, the pressure!

It's all good. This is the kind of awesome, fantabulous news I needed to get me out of a rather long bout of "itallsucksitis." Well, this sure helped me get all cheerful and full of sparkly goodness!

This novel has been through many, many changes -- and it appears that it's back on the right track again. ;) Now I can get over it and focus on the current WIP, which needs some care and attention due to my mad dash to another city for a weekend BBQ.

It's been a highly social weekend for me with two parties, visiting a girlfriend and her 70-pound "puppy" and trying to get some paying work done.

Now I just have to distract myself until they announce the Golden Opportunity winners in late September. Ack!

Lessons learned during a heat wave

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Summer finally arrived in Toronto -- and I must say that the soaring temperatures provided an awesome learning opportunity for me.

1. Heat risesZaphod, the kitten of mass destruction, has spent the past week on the basement freezer, chillaxing. It took us an hour to find him the first day, and when we did we ended up sitting there with him because it felt so nice.

2. Business attire is whackI had to work on site during some of these hazy days, and I melted on the way there and back. Why do businesses insist on people wearing clothes when it's so darn hot. Then again, that's probably best for everyone...

3. Getting emotional takes too much energySeriously, I don't know how people who have tempers who live near the equator survive. Just the thought of getting angry makes me sweat. But if someone were to drink all the Diet Coke or eat all the ice cream...

4. You're never too old for the kiddie poolLukas (my five-year-old next-door neighbour) invited me to splash around in his whale-shaped blow-up pool -- and if I wasn't on a deadline, I totally would have taken him up on it. Even if that meant being seen in public in my bathing suit.

And, last but not least...

5. Summer has its own scheduleThis is a both good and bad. Flexibility is something I cherish, but the Cancerian in me lives for timelines and checking things off the to-do list. So when holiday schedules and pool parties get in the way, sometimes I get a little twitchy. Okay, a lot twitchy. But I'm learning to deal, with the help of the chilling kitten.